Wrist Rocket & Lead Balls

[CWL]

Going up against the 5 raccoons ruining my neighborhood, and since I don't want to get nailed for firing a .22 within city boundaries, I have recently bought a wrist rocket (slingshot) and a box of .44 lead round shot. I think that lead roundshot will work better on varmints than ball bearings or rocks.

Anyone have an opinion?

 

[gun-fucious]

i used to wrist rocket 45 slugs

very effective

 

[Bob]

My wrist rocket has been lost for a long time. But, 30 years ago I used steel ball bearings with great success. Your post got me thinking, I saw one at a sporting goods store for $8. I may have to go get one and try some of those lead balls out.
Bob

 

[brownie0486]

Growing up in the country before wrist rockets hit the streets we made slingshots from forked tree branches and old inner tubes from our bicycles.

Had a friend whose dad worked where he had access to all the punched centers left after making washers of various sizes. Thats what we used. Most were about 1/4" thick and 3/8" in diameter.

I could send one downrange over the water a good 100 yards with some great accruacy after some trial and error. We practiced over the water at a local fishing pond as we could see them land and could adjust immediately.

A wrist rocket and ball bearings, lead 230 ball, etc sounds like fun to me and certainly would make an effective short range weapon.

Brownie

 

[goon]

I used to be quite good with a slingshot.
We had alot of grapes in my area, and when they were still green they made great ammo.
In the fall I used acorns.
I was good enough to hit aluminum cans in the air.
I found that the ball bearings worked better than the 45 caliber rifle balls that I liberated from my dad's stash. IIRC, steel is lighter than lead. Lighter and harder= faster with more smack. Perhaps something around a .32 or .36 lead ball would work though.

 

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

I agree with what Goon said. Lead .44's might be a it heavy for a wrist rocket, but either smaller-caliber or alternative materials might work a bit better.

Option 2 is to get "magnum" slingshot rubber. These are thicker than the stock rigs, and hit harder, but require more elbow grease.

It is worth noting that commercial W.R. ammo comes in two grades: .375 steel, and .250 steel, niether of which appeal to me. Not big enough, weight-wise. .375 lead might solve that, but I was going to go to a craft store and see if I could find cheap bulk marbles for use in flower arranging. Good size, nice weight, consistent flight, and cheap by the hundreds. I like marble-sized creek pebbles better than dinky steels, but consistency is an issue. Cost, also. $2.99/50 is a bit much. .250's were the same for a 250-count, but they're WAY too light.

Now $2.99/250 1/2"-5/8" marbles would suit me fine. I could afford to practice, and not wince about losing a few. Then them 'coons had best worry, as I need a retro hat. If'n I don't block the dogdoor at night, the arrogant bastards come in the HOUSE, and I can't lie in wait, as ricochets off skulls would take out the sliding glass doors.

Fun-but-useless: 1/4" square or so FLAT chips of stone, bounced off the ground at a shallow angle for movie-style ricochet sound effects.

Interesting alternative ammo: Rings of tape, diameter of your choice, lead birdshot, and glue or wax. Hits hard, but no ricochet issues in urban areas to damage neighbor's cars/windows. Haven't tried this, just thought it up right now.

Alternative #2: Tape a stick across the fork for upright, or along the front of the grip for sideways use, and run arrows.

Dangerous plans: If I can get a source for heavy rubber tubing, I plan on making a rifle-style setup with at LEAST a 4-foot draw and a trigger release with sights. Run THAT beast with lead bullets and I could run afoul of Kaliforny firearms law if I ran into the wrong cop. Maybe I could use Bungees. I wonder what kind of FPS I could get...

edit: 'pebbles', not 'pepples'

 

[sm]

I might have had a few infractions when I was younger, fork from a tree, red rubber from a inner tube.

Ball bearing from the "fillin' station".
Marbles, I just kept "losing" all mine <wink>
cherry bombs (don't ask) lets just say it works on critter control-okay?

 

[goon]

If you want to hear that cool ricochet sound shoot some pennies at dry hard ground.

 

[Bruz]

Maybe I could use Bungees.


Memories ...my dad worked at a hospital and brought home some surgical rubber tubing that we made many devices from. Water balloon launcher, cat bungie, and of course slingshots. Still have scars on my hand from misfires.

Anyway, recently bought 20 feet of surgical tubing from either Brownells or Texas Knife stores. Time to be childish again. Here kitty-kitty...

 

[CWL]

Those in N. California might be interested to note that Reeds Sporting Goods in SJ is stocking wrist rockets and beefed-up rubber tubing.

I would disagree with using steel ball bearings rather than real lead for varminting. If you wonder why, try shooting at a 30-lb raccoon with steel. It'll only make it angrier.

Lead shot performs better since it transfers more energy onto the target by deforming. Steel, glass, rocks tend to bounce.

 

[brownie0486]

CWL:

An astutue observation and certainly right on in my experience as well.

Good, very good!!!!!!!

Brownie

 

[david_reeves]

I have had rather good results with old lug nuts, 50cal lead balls, and Pinballs (yes, 1" ball bearings). BUT the heavier you go, the stronger the sling must be. Which can drastically increase the results off errors (misses, mis-fires that hurts, and just plain old targeting errors i.e. squirrel on a car hood = bad target choice)

Good Luck though.
I tend to use a bow with a nice sharp broadhead for racoons and possums. Either one can make you regret pissing it off


Dave

 

[KMKeller]

For a little fun, shoot a spent .22 case downrange. They whistle nicely and have some interesting trajectories.

 

[dave5339]

My favorite load for the wrist rocket as a kid used to be the big Tempkin tapered bearings. They were deadly on rabbits, birds, pickup hoods, (that was a big mistake, the owner hunted us for several years).

I once whacked a local cat that had been getting in the trash with a big tempkin bearing. Hit him square in the head, didn't do anything but irritate him.

My current load out for my wrist rocket, (in need of a new band) is some cast lead 9mm rounds. They really make the local feral cat population levitate as there dropping their load in my gravel walkways.

I'm actually nicer about the local feral stray cats than my wife. She just loads up the 22 and drops the diseased, inbred, fleabags.

Semper Fi

 

[Penman]

Get a bag of buckshot. Better sectional density than ball bearings, good price.

 

[Ol' Badger]

I was down by the river one Saturday and I mooned people that were in a canoe. Well I was rewarded for that with a steel ball in the left cheek from a wrist rock and there wasn't a durn thing I could do about it too.

 

[david_reeves]

Now thats a shot....

In a canoe, on the water, probably moving and wiggling a little bit.

Either a lot of luck, or that shooter is just plain BAD


By the Way

OUCH!!

Dave